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March 10, 2012

Gelish Gel Polish

Hey everyone,

This post is defiantly for all you nail polish lovers out there in cyber space. I am a huge nail polish fan (just ask my co-workers, they never see me with the same nail color twice), but unfortunately when your in the retail industry and your unpacking boxes and working with cash registers it's next to impossible to keep your polished tips chip-free. That being said, I found this product called Gelish Gel Polish. Their claim is: 'Performs like a gel, applies like a polish'. I set out to find out if this was fact or merely a 'claim'. I will give you a brief run-down as to what, exactly, Gelish is. Have you ever heard of Shellac? Well, if so, it's almost identical and if not, it's basically a cured gel polish. It's cured using a UV or LED lamp. There is a base coat applied, that is then cured, then you apply 2-3 coats of the color, curing between all coats, then topped of with a top coat, then you do a final cure and finally you cleanse the nail using the cleanser. The claimed result? Shiny, chip-free nails for up to 2 weeks. It also is only removable with pure acetone, not plain nail polish remover. So, let's get down to the nitty-gritty and see what the verdict is.

I went to my local Sally's store in Oakville and spent a few bills on the LED light, polish, foundation (base coat), Top it off (Top coat, in case you couldn't guess) and cleanser (rubbing alchol). They also carry the classic UV lamp but I decided to go with the LED lamp. The difference? A UV lamp cures within minutes and a LED lamp cures within seconds. It was alittle on the pricier side (UV lamp is around $30 and a LED is around $70) but I thought seconds sounded better than minutes and I had a little more money to spend. When I came home I wanted to try it immediately. I basically did all the nail prep (shaping, removing/pushing cuticles, buffing, etc.). After washing my hands to remove dust from the filing/buffing, I then cleansed the nail with the cleanser. I applied the foundation coat, which has a jelly like texture, and then cured it for about 10 seconds (with a LED lamp). I then applied my gel polish and cured between coats. One thing I found with the polish I purchased (the color I purchased was Sweet Chocolate) was that it needed 3 coats because even after the second coat it was still transparent. So depending on the color your using you may need 3 coats, despite the instructions claiming 2 coats. After the polish was all cured I then applied the 'top it off' to the nails and cured for the final time. Finally, I cleansed the nail with the cleanser to remove the tacky film and voila! They looked amazing! Here are a few pics just after I finished them.

The flash on the camera makes them look dull but they were actually really shiny. So, the promise is for it to last up to 2 weeks. Unfortunately, the nail polish fanatic in me wanted to change nail colors so I decided to show you what it looks like after a week instead (Still a pretty good amount of time). Throughout the week I tried to be as rough as possible with them. I really wanted to see if they could live up to the daily grind of retail work. The day after I did them I had a shipment to unpack and I really worked those babies out! I was ripping boxes and stripping the tape with my bare hands! Ha ha! When I looked at my hands after, there wasn't one chip. I was actually very impressed considering that if I had used my regular nail polish (any kind, OPI, China Glaze, Essie...) they would have been chipped galor! But how about a week later? Well, take a look...

﻿I was actually impressed at how well the color stayed on and it was still super shiny. Now here's my negative comment as far as Gelish is concerned. The removal process is really time consuming and really dries out you nails and fingers. I ran out of tin foil to wrap around the acetone soaked cotton ball so I ended up just soaking my tips in a bowl of acetone (FYI So smelly that I almost needed a mask). After they soaked for about 10ish minutes the polish was still on and I had to chip away at it to get it off. It wasn't difficult as the acetone had already broke down the polish, but it still involved more work than I would have liked. My overall view on this product? I say that I love it and that even thought it's a bit of a pain to remove, it's defiantly worth it. Since I have two jobs and only get about one day off a week it's nice to have pretty chip free nails that I don't need to re-paint 3 times a week. If your a busy lady with no time to polish your nails every couple of days and you want something to last, then this is for you. It will cost around $150 to start but after you purchase the light it's all about keeping stocked up with the polishes, foundation and top coat. On the other hand, if you like changing your nail color every couple of days (and have the time to do so), then this probably isn't for you. You don't want to be soaking your nails in acetone every other day. I actually went out and purchased two more Gelish colors and I'm super excited to apply them next, so as you can see, there a hit with me!

So, Will you be giving Gelish a go? Have you ever tried using a cured gel polish before? Any tips on application, care or removal? The floor is yours Beauties...

Hugs & kisses,

Sarah

P.S- I will be posting a new poll this weekend! It's all about nail Polish so keep checking back.